CHICO — The Silver Dollar Speedway announced Wednesday the season has been postponed until May 10.

Originally, the speedway was only going to postpone the first two points races and pick back up on April 3. However, state officials have issued an eight week waiting period for public gatherings which ends on May 10.

The postponement is part of an effort to prevent the spreading of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.

“We want to do our part in preventing this terrible virus,” said Dennis Gage, Silver Dollar Speedway Manager in a press release. “This is unprecedented. We’ve had rain, floods, and fires, but never a virus impacting our events.”

The racing season will now be shortened considerably and larger events could be impacted later in the year.

The Fourth of July race could be moved to July 3 to accommodate the aerial fireworks show, the press release said.

Several empty dates in July and August will be considered for possibly makeup races.

The annual Gold Cup Race of Champions which features the World of Outlaws sprint cars is still planned to be held Sept. 9-12. The four-day event will also include the Platinum Cup.

The monster truck show scheduled for April 10-11 has already been canceled. A monster truck show is scheduled on June 5-6 and on Aug. 14-15.

Any tickets that were purchased online for a now-canceled race can be honored at full value at an event held later in the season.

For more information, contact the Silver Dollar Speedway at (530) 350-7275.